nicoleashley

Content count

31

Joined

November 4, 2012

Last visited

December 10, 2012

Community Reputation

2Neutral

About nicoleashley

Rank

Community Member

Birthday09/20/1994

Profile Information

Gender

Female

Interests

I am a wife, a mother, and a nurse. My husband possibly has celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity and is still undergoing tests. Currently we have started a gluten free diet and he is feeling much better. I am here to gain as much information and support as possible. I am going gluten free with my husband as well.

yes, there is a reason I chose this particular doctor and there is a reason he was so difficult to get into. When the office offered for my husband to see another physician in the practice I refused, I said I would wait as long as it takes to get him in with this particular physician because I knew him from work and am a patient of his as well. I talk to a lot of GI doctors and this one has always impressed me with his knowledge base and view on medicine. He went through my husbands schedule and eating habits and made personalized reccomendations for his eating habits. I have been nagging my husband about his eating habits for years saying that it could be just that making him sick. When the doctor said everything that I have been saying for years, my husband actually listened and is following through. Eating breakfast, eating snacks throughout the day to keep from overeating at the end of the day, avoiding soda's, wheat, and dairy products, and most of all avoiding processed foods. Little things but IMPORTANT to anyone dealing with GI issues.
I deal with a lot of physicians and there are a select few that I truely trust and respect. I wish there were more.

UPDATE:
Followed up with the GI doc today. All of my husbands labwork is completely normal. The whole panel. He said he does not have celiac. He does however think he is sensitive to gluten given his positive response to a gluten free diet. Our doctor actually reccomended we read "wheat belly" and said that there is a theory that the protein in wheat causes systemic inflammation. He wants my husband to eat as many whole unprocessed foods as possible. He did however mention that he is going to label it as irritable bowl syndrome as a diagnosis. I am thankful for a diagnosis, thankful that it isn't celiac based on all of the other problems that can be related to that. Dealing with a sensitivity as opposed to a true allergen still won't be easy but he feels better and we are going to keep at it. Thank you all so much for the information here and the support.

yes but it will be easier to convince my stubborn, hard headed husband to stick to a gluten free diet for life if he has proof that it's causing his problem. He is not 100% convinced it was the gluten that made him sick. He says "it could've been anything, I ate a lot of stuff". Men....

Thank you!
The sad part is, I finally got the doc to order the whole celiac panel including genetic testing, so since we have been gluten free for two weeks hubby and I decided he should eat some gluten this week before his blood test so he ate thanksgiving at his parents house and is ridiculously sick today. I hope that's enough to make the tests accurate because he doesn't want to eat anymore gluten and feel this way anymore!

ok, this may sound like a stupid question, but do I need to be concerned about any canned tomato sauces, tomato paste, and diced tomato? I am making chili tomorrow and I bought a brand of tomato sauce that says "gluten free", however many of the other sauces list their ingredients (tomatoes, water, spices, etc) and do not seem to have any contaminants. I mean I figure canned green beans and carrots are fine, but tomato sauce when they list 'spices' or something, I just wonder if there is a possibility of it containing gluten. Also the tomato paste I was concerned it might have some thickening agent in it that could be problematic.

I just made our first gluten free thanksgiving. I baked one loaf of the gluten free pantry's white bread and a loaf of bob's red mill "wonderful" bread. I also made a gluten free cornbread using bob's red mill gluten free cornmeal. All of these I dried, crumbled, and toasted in the oven. After adding lots of sauted onion and celery with olive oil, turkey stock, a few eggs and baking it, nobody could tell any difference!
I also made an awesome pumpkin pie crust using king arthurs gluten free flour and the recipe from their website. I actually liked it better than any pie crust I have had previously!

Heard from the GI doc today, The lady on the phone said they will do a celiac panel which includes genetics testing and iron, she said the other vitamin tests I would have to get done from a primary care physician. So I am very excited about that, I would think the genetic testing would be more definitive?
Do you have to be eating gluten for the genetic testing? It has been a week and a half gluten free and my husband is already feeling so much better. He isn't taking any antiinflammatories for his hands for the past few days which is a miracle. He still has to run to the bathroom on occassion, like after eating a big meal, but I can tell it's not as bad because he isn't in there as long or as frequently. And his overalll mood is actually better.
Also took my kids to the pediatrician today for their asthma/allergy follow up. My daughter is 5 and has to get bloodwork for an allergy panel and she is the one who has issues with constipation and complaining of abdominal pain a lot, (after eating especially). So when I told her about my husband being worked up for celiac she said we might as well add the bloodwork in for the pediatric celiac panel since she is getting bloodwork done anyway. She said she has had some concerns about her abdominal pain and constipation but we have just been monitoring it so far and it hasn't gotten any worse. She does have a big appetite at times but and her BMI is on the higher end of normal. so I have the order and will be taking her to get the bloodwork done next tuesday.
My son, he is only 3, his asthma is under control with no wheezing issues recently. No upper respiratory problems and no GI symptoms. He had to have bloodwork done for allergy testing last year when his asthma was really bad. But she said since he is not symptomatic, he is growing normally, she doesn't want to subject him to the trauma of getting blood drawn again so soon. She said we will monitor him closely for symptoms and also signs of anemia. She did say though if anything comes up and he needs bloodwork for any reason then we can get it done at the same time. I agree with her, the poor kid already has been through so much with his asthma, and being a boy he has had stitches, so he is terrified of needles. She is an excellent pediatrician and I trust her completely.
Anyway, that is my update, just thought I would share. This whole thing has kind of thrown my world into a little bit of chaos. but let me tell you what else, it has opened up my eyes to our food industry. I am focused on cooking and preparing whole foods and yes it is a little more work, but I look at the health of the people in our society and I can't help but feel that the root of it is in what we put into our bodies. My grandma is 84 and still lives alone, drives herself, everything. She always had a garden, chickens, eggs, and a few cows so she could slaughter a steer every few years. The only health issue she has is mild osteoporosis, not bad since she had 6 kids, and she had an episode where her heart rate went to fast once (SVT). Her heart however is strong and healthy. I want to be just like her.

The heinz ketchup and hellman's reduced fat mayo I bought wasn't any more expensive than half the stuff on the shelf. The store brands were a tad bit cheaper, however they had more additives on the label. I also bought the ketchup with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. I try to buy food with the least amount of ingredients on the label, and yes sometimes those items are a few cents more expensive, however they are also usually the gluten free options that I see.
I may seem like a newbie and in many ways I am. However being a registered nurse when I was in nursing school 8 years ago I decided to try a gluten free diet and immersed myself into the information. I have also tried to limit the processed food we eat now that I have kids and I ALWAYS read labels.
I know there are issues with cross contamination but I have spoken with a dietician recently who said that it depends on the individuals sensitivity and that is why follow up endoscopy's and colonoscopy's every 5 years are so essential, to ensure that the diet is working and the inflammation is under control.

my bottles of hellman's were labled with the gluten-free green sticker in publix, the only mayo that had that label, and they say "gluten free" on the bottle, again the only mayo I could find that said gluten free.

Have you tried mirilax? One capful twice daily in any drink you prefer. Sometimes it takes a day or two to work, but once it does, it gets you going.
Also try citrate of magnesium and dulcolax suppository.

http://www.amazon.co...=A1IXDUU50AQ4YZ
I bought a box of these lentil crackers at publix and we loved them. But the box was 4.99. On amazon with my prime (free shipping) it comes to 2.99 a box! Thought I would share.

I just want to share with you what my husband and I have gone through the last few weeks as well. My husband, God bless him, can be the most stubborn, negative, pessimistic person ever, and so resistant to change! If HE can do this, I have faith that ANYBODY can.
My husband also went in for a colonsocopy/endoscopy, him being 260lbs at 6', who would've even guessed gluten could possibly be at the root of his problems? We got a call saying that his biopsy was suspect for gluten sensitive enteropathy and went and had bloodwork done. We got the bloodwork done at the hospital where I work and decided to grab some breakfast when we were done (I get a discount on the food).
So he wonders around the cafeteria and throws his hands up "I can't eat anything!". Well he is a cereal, biscuits and gravy, waffle, pancake, toast, lets just say he loves his carbs in the morning. But he also loves meat. So I loaded up a plate with scrambled eggs, topped with cheese, bacon, and a fresh fruit cup. As I sat down to eat, he sat down with his water grumbling "I guess I'll just starve"... I start digging in to my food. He tentavly ate a grape from my fruit cup. I then offered him a slice of bacon and a bite of my eggs. He finished my plate.
So then the next day he was home from work and I was at work. (we work 12 hour shifts and alternate weekends so we have days off during the week) and he texted me "Screw this, gluten free is expensive, I'd rather suffer", only his language was much more colorful! lol. He wound up getting some $3.00 steak and eggs and sauteing it with onions and peppers. I just told him to focus on whole foods not substitutes in the beginning
Anyway, we started simple, with basic foods, meat and veggies and beans. I got pot roast buy one get one free and was able to make a delicous beef soup/stew that we ate for two days. Once I realized we could make a lot of food without any of the 'gluten free substitutes" that are expensive Chicken, rice, broccoli, etc. I usually buy meat buy one get one free.
And there are many NORMAL brands that are gluten free already. Chex makes some great cereals. I stocked up on those because my husband loves cereal. Honey nut, chocolate, and cinnamon. Also many mainstream brands are gluten free. I have heinz ketchup (that says gluten free), hellmans mayo. PUBLIX supermarket has gluten-free on many products that are gluten free, There is a big green circle with gluten-free on the price tas. so brands you already know, that aren't any more expensive, are already ok. In this way I bought some barbeque sauce and salad dressings.
Also I looked up brands like kraft and jif peanut butter and it seems like the kraft lite ranch dressing and the jif natural peanut butter I have are ok as well. And I found out my husbands favorite soda's are gluten free as well. Not a healthy choice but it means he doesn't have to feel totall deprived. ( However I did buy some delicous cream soda as a treat, it was 3.99 for four bottles but considering you can pay $1.50 for a 20oz in a store, this was really good with minimal ingredients and sugar instead of corn syrup. )
Now I have ventured into trying some of the gluten free substitutes food. Yes they are expensive and yes we are on a budget too. I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. So I know it is expensive We just decided that pasta's and breads aren't going to be the basis of our meals anymore, they are going to be TREATS instead of staples. We got a gluten free pancake mix because my husband makes pancakes on sundays when he isn't working. The kids (very picky 3 and 5 year old), LOVED it.
I also tried the DIAMOND crackers, they were HORRIBLE, lol, So I put them in a food processor with some natural potatoe chips and made bread crumbs. My husband seasoned the crumbs and fried up some herb encrusted chicken tenders!
I bought a bread mix from bob's red mill and put it in the bread machine, and my husband loves it. Plus the bread can be frozen and he can get a slice when he wants it. So yes it is expensive but with only him and myself eating it on occasion, not daily.
So I can still keep a regular loaf of bread on hand for the kids and yes I did invest in a separate toaster.
I am slowly starting to experiment with the baking, but little by little because it is expensive. But my husbands health is worth it. I've removed all gluten free food from our home except for a loaf of bread for the kids and I think the chicken nuggest and fish sticks in the freezer, just because they are so picky and need to have something we can give them that's quickand easy . I will just have to be careful and clean whatever I cook them on. (however we are going to have the pediatrician check them as well just to be safe)
I am finding that even when I buy some of the more expensive things that making a homemade gluten free meal is cheaper than even eating fast food! My husband and I both work aprox 48 hours a week ( I worked 60 hours last week) and have two young kids and we still found time to prepare the meals. It wasn't easy but we did. Plus the whole family is fighting a cold right now so we are exhausted as well. We just have to force ourselves to do what needs to be done.
And just to put things in perspective, yesterday my husband ordered naked wings with sauce that he thought would be ok. As an afterthought he asked if he could see the ingredients on the sauce. Well the sauce contained wheat, and he decided since he already paid for the food, he would eat it anyway. He suffered with gas, abd pain, and loose stools the rest of the day. He confessed to me it wasn't worth it to feel that way.
He has lost 5 lbs and I have lost 3. We havn't changed much else except removing the gluten from our diets and I am sticking to the diet too because I FEEL so much better too!
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

Just an update. Today he ingested wheat on accident. He ordered some naked wings while working and forgot to ask about tje sauce till after he ordered. It had wheat as an ingredient but he chose to eat It anyway. His stomach is in bad shape.now, gas, pain, and loose stool, which he told me is tan in color.
I am trying to gain as much info as possible to pass on to our GI doc , not trying to be gross , but it would seem to me that he reacted to the wingsauce with the wheat? His belly has been fine all week otherwise.

Follow Us

Like us on Facebook

About Us

Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!